The Trajectory of the Artemis II Moon Mission Is a Feat of Engineering
SMRTR summary
Four astronauts rocketed away from Earth Thursday evening, becoming the first humans to venture beyond low Earth orbit in over half a century. The Artemis II crew will shatter distance records next week, traveling some 10,300 kilometers beyond the moon—far surpassing even Apollo 13's previous mark.
Rather than taking a straight shot to the lunar surface, their Orion capsule will trace an elegant figure-eight pattern through space. After orbiting Earth for nearly a day to run system checks, the crew began their true lunar journey.
The mission's most dramatic moment comes April 6th, when they'll sweep just 7,400 kilometers above the moon's far side. Using lunar gravity as a cosmic slingshot, they'll arc back toward Earth without ever entering lunar orbit—a trajectory designed so cleverly that even engine failure couldn't prevent their safe return.
The entire adventure concludes April 11th with a Pacific splashdown, where Navy ships will fish the crew from the ocean after nine days of testing technologies crucial for future moon landings.
SMRTR provides this summary for quick context. The original article belongs to Wired.
Read the original article